Azurrin Week 2019
by Pyronormal Simplicity
Summary: A series of short chapters for Azurrin Week 2019 featuring our favorite dragon and songstress
1. Chapter 1

**Adrift/Grounding**

* * *

"_A-Azura, I just…I want to say…I-I love you. I love the way you smile, I love the way your hair always l-looked like a hedgehog in the morning, a-and I just…I love you. I-I was thinking about w-writing a poem, but there's nothing I could say or write down that can show how m-much I truly love you. Will…will you do me the favor of not simply being my best friend or lover anymore? Will you marry me?"_

_Azura looked down at the tiny little ring inside of the tiny little box in Corrin's hands. It was a simple, yet beautiful thing, a band of gold with a sapphire set in the center._

_Struggling to hold back her tears, Azura simply nodded, smiling wider than she ever smiled before. "Yes," she finally said, the tears finally breaking through and falling down her face. "I will marry you, Corrin. I love you too. I love you…so much."_

_The look on Corrin's face as he looked up at her could only be described as pure, raw, unadulterated joy and confusion. "W-wait, really?" he asked, stuttering. "I-I thought that it was t-too sappy, or that you wouldn't want me, or—"_

" _Corrin, we practically sleep together," Azura said, giggling at the confused expression on his face. "And you're literally the dashing knight that saved the girl from the evil dragon. How could I not want you? Now, get up here."_

_Corrin obliged her, rising quickly to his feet and wrapping his warm arms around her. Azura closed her eyes and moved her head forward for the kiss, but when she didn't feel the warmness of Corrin's lips, she reluctantly cracked open an eye and looked around._

_To_ _ her horror, she was no longer under the sakura tree next to the lake. Instead, Azura was standing in the middle of a bloody battlefield, with bodies and weapons and armor and blood littered everywhere. Occasionally, a pained moan would rise up or an arm would weakly reach for the sky, but the moans would always die away and the arm would fall limply to the ground._

_As Azura looked around, she couldn't help but feel something was terribly off. A low, thick, purple fog hung low to the ground, and as Azura watched the fog swirl around, she knew the fog was unnatural._

_Scared, Azura called out, "Corrin? Corrin, where are you?"_

_To her surprise, she heard him mutter back weakly, "A…zura…"_

_Looking down, Azura was shocked to see Corrin lying on the ground, his blue cape torn and shredded to pieces, his armor cracked and lying in discarded pieces around him, Yato lying shattered to his side, and worst of all, the pool of red growing beneath Corrin. His eyes were dull and flat, yet when Azura dropped to her knees, they somewhat shifted towards her._

"_A…zura," he gasped again, reaching towards her. "Az…ura…"_

"_I'm here," Azura said, taking his hand reassuringly. "I'm here, don't worry. Everything is going to be okay, Corrin. I promise. I'll get you some healers and—"_

_Why…did you abandon us?"_

_A_ _zura's blood froze as she looked at Corrin._

"_What?"_

"_You…abandoned us." Corrin's voice now sounded accusatory, and as he twisted his head to look at her, his red eyes started to glow._

_"You left us to die," he said. "You led us here, and then you abandoned us. You abandoned me. How could you?"_

_"_ _I-I didn't!" Azura said, shaking her head. "I would never leave you!"_

"_LIAR!"_

_W_ _ithout warning, Corrin suddenly grabbed Azura by the throat. Azura's eyes widened as Corrin got to his feet and the shattered hilt of Yato magically flew into his hand._

_"_ _You're a liar, Azura," he growled. "You said we would stop Anankos together, but then you left us all here to rot."_

"_I…didn't," Azura gasped, struggling to free herself from Corrin's iron grip. "I-I didn't!"_

"_LIAR!" Corrin roared, and for a moment, lightening flashed behind him, revealing the silhouette of an incredibly large, four-limbed beast with wings, antlers, and a spiked tailed. "You lied to us, Azura. You lied to me! How could you? How could you?"_

"_I…I wanted…to help," Azura gasped, kicking weakly as Corrin continued to lift her off the ground. "I s-swear! I-I never meant f-for you…or anybody else c-come…to harm!"_

_Corrin chuckled darkly and shook his head. "That's a twisted joke and you know it, Azura. You really think Anankos would let the last member of the Rheos family live? You think Anankos would let us come into his realm and kill him?" He violently shook Azura. "You fool! Of course he didn't, and because of your mistake, your inability to tell us what laid on the other side of the Bottomless Canyon, we failed. Everybody's dead. Hoshido and Nohr have fallen. Anankos has laid siege to the rest of the world. We failed, Azura, and all because you abandoned us."_

_T_ _ears sprang into Azura's eyes and she shook her head. "I…I'm sorry," she gasped out. "I-I'm sorry."_

_C_ _orrin chuckled again. "'Sorry' won't cut it this time, Azura. All my men, all my siblings, all my hopes, dead because of you. If there was any sort of connection between us, any feelings of love or friendship, consider those gone. You ruined my family, Azura. You ruined my life. The most I could do is make sure you can't enjoy the rest of yours."_

_Azura's eyes widened again as Corrin reared the shattered hilt of Yato back. "N-no, Corrin, don't!"_

"_I'm sorry, Azura," Corrin said, and this time, Azura could see the sadness and defeat and hopelessness in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "As the leader of this…army, I'm responsible for handing out punishments…and the punishment for desertion…is death."_

_Azura shook her head. "Please…Corrin," she said weakly. "Don't…don't."_

_Corrin simply pursed his lips before stabbing Azura through the chest with the shattered blade._

_And then Azura woke up screaming._

"_NO!"_

Azura bolted upright, looking wildly around her. She was breathing heavily, and it felt like there was a thin layer of sweat covering every inch of her body.

Azura gasped as she remembered the nightmare she just had, and she roughly pressed her hands into her chest, checking if somehow, the actions of her dreams translated to real life. Of course, it didn't, but when she felt something groan and move next to her, Azura couldn't help but bolt out of the bed and plaster herself to the nearest wall, breathing heavily.

"Azura?" Corrin mumbled sleepily, lifting his head up and looking around, confused. "Azura?"

Azura felt her pulse slow as Corrin finally turned in her direction.

"Azura, what are you doing over there?" he said, yawning. "It's like, three in the morning. Come back to bed, would you?"

Azura shook her head, wide-awake. "N-no thanks I'm fine," she said shakily. "Just go back to sleep, Corrin."

There were many reasons why she loved Corrin, from his adorable sleepiness to his childlike fascinations with shiny things, but without a doubt, the part Azura loved most about Corrin was his caring and worrying self. Corrin rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes as he got out of bed and walked over to her.

Corrin usually slept bare-chested, and in the moonlight, his toned and chiseled body seemed to glow even brighter than the moon and Azura found herself blushing as she averted her gaze.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he said, opening his arms in an unmistakable gesture. Azura was only too happy to bury her face in his chest. "Did you have another nightmare?"

Sniffling, Azura nodded.

Corrin sighed as he rubbed the back of her head and protectively pulled her in even closer to him. "How bad was it this time?" he asked.

In response, Azura simply shook her head, causing Corrin to sigh again.

"Do…do you wanna talk about it?"

Again, Azura shook her head.

"Do…you wanna come back to bed with me?"

A pause, and then Azura nodded.

Smiling weakly, Corrin gently ducked and wrapped one of his arms under Azura's legs and carried her to their bed. After laying her down gently, Corrin then proceeded to make sure she was covered with the blanket before climbing in next to her.

Almost as soon as Corrin was settled in next to her, Azura shuffled over so that practically every inch of her body was pressed against his and Corrin stifled a groan as he felt her nails dig into his skin.

For a moment, neither of them said a word, but as the sweat cooled on Azura's body, she finally said, "At first, you were proposing to me."

Corrin shook off his sleepiness and looked at her curiously. "That doesn't sound so bad," he said.

In response, Azura nodded before saying, "It was…a dream come true. But…but then I was a battlefield. And…there were…so many dead people around me. But…but you were in front of me."

Corrin sucked in his breath, grimacing. "Was…I dead?"

Azura sniffled again. "No. Worse. You were still alive, and…and…"

"And what?" Corrin gently asked, squeezing her protectively. "Don't worry, Azura. I'm here. I'm still here."

Azura nodded as she wiped her tears away. "You…were accusing me of abandoning you when I led you and the army into Valla. And…and…then you said you didn't l-love me, and you stabbed me, and—"

At this point, it was too much for Azura and she couldn't hold back the tears any longer. She turned and buried her face in Corrin's arms and began to cry.

Corrin's expression softened even further somehow as he patted her head warmly. "Sh…" he shushed. "It's alright…I'm here, Azura. I'm here."

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of crying, Azura finally stopped and looked at Corrin. "Will...would you ever stop—"

"What?" Corrin said, flabbergasted. "Of course not! I love you, Azura. I would never stop loving you. I don't care what you do or say, I'll never say I stopped loving you. You complete me in so many ways. How could I ever stop loving you?"

"I-I don't know," Azura said miserably. "I'm sorry for—"

"Don't be," Corrin interrupted, pulling her even closer than before. "Don't ever apologize for something the dream version of me did."

"But—"

"No buts," Corrin interrupted again. "I love you, Azura, and nothing's ever going to change that, okay?"

In response, Azura simply patted his arm and gasped out, "Can't…breathe."

Corrin blinked in surprise. "O-oh, sorry," he said, loosening his grip. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright," Azura said sighing and settling in next to Corrin. After a moment's pause, she quietly said, "Thank you, Corrin."

Corrin simply smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders before pecking her on the forehead, causing her to also smile. "Of course, Azura. For you, I would do anything a thousand times over."


	2. Chapter 2

**Rhythm/Out of Sync**

* * *

_Left, right, left, right, right—_

_Crack!_

"Ow!"

Corrin reproachfully rubbed the red mark on the arm where Azura had just slapped him. In return, the blue-haired woman simply crossed her arms and gave him a look that made it clear that no amount of whining or puppy-eyes was going to get out of today's dancing lesson, something that only started a couple days ago when Corrin curiously asked Azura if she could teach him to dance.

At first, Azura thought it wouldn't be that hard. Corrin was practically a prodigy when it came to music as he started learning the piano from a young age, and she had danced with him before on their wedding night, so Azura thought she would only have to spend an hour or so teaching him the basics.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Slowly but surely, an hour dragged out into two hours, and then two hours dragged out into four, and it became clear to Azura that despite having a good sense of rhythm from playing piano, Corrin was terrible at dancing, often tripping over his own feet and, in this case, mixing up his lefts and rights.

"You know, you don't have to slap me so hard," he said, pouting. "It's just a small mistake."

"You were the one who told me that the only reason you learned the piano so quickly at a young age was because the tutor constantly threatened you with a whip in her hand," Azura countered. "I'm just…trying to jog some old habits."

"Well, it's not really working."

"Well, I could always ask Jakob to find me a whip. Would that motivate you more?"

Corrin shuddered involuntarily. "That's not funny, Azura."

"I wasn't joking," Azura said flatly, raising an eyebrow. "The question still stands: do you want me to use a whip, or do you want me to use my hand?"

"…hand."

"Good," Azura said, nodding. "Now, we're going to do that sequence _again_. And this time, we're not going to stop until you can do twenty repetitions."

Corrin groaned.

"Without making a single mistake."

Corrin groaned again.

"All in a row."

"_Uuuuugh."_


	3. Chapter 3

**Soothe/Rage**

* * *

Azura was scared of a lot of things, with spiders, snakes, being forgotten, and dying without accomplishing any of her wishes being some major fears, but Corrin wasn't one of them. So when Corrin roughly shoved her into his study and slammed the door behind him, Azura stared at him not with nervousness or fear, but with determination and defiance.

"Your song hurts you, doesn't it?" he said, the underlying growl in his tone betraying his draconic heritage. It was less of a question and more of a statement.

"What if it does?" Azura sniffed, trying to draw herself up to her full height. "What does it matter?"

Corrin stared at her before suddenly turning and shoving everything off his desk, causing papers to fly everywhere. When Corrin turned back towards her, Azura could see the telltale glow of his eyes signaling his transformation.

"What does it matter?" he repeated, this time with a much more inhuman growl in his voice. "What does it matter? You almost _died_ out there, Azura! _Died_!"

"And?" Azura challenged, stepping closer to Corrin. "If you hadn't noticed, we're in a war, _Corrin_. We all have to make sacrifices at some point."

"This isn't a sacrifice!" Corrin said, gesturing wildly towards the pendant lying on her chest, the gold glinting almost accusingly in the dying sunlight. "It's suicide! You can't just use that thing whenever you feel like it!"

"I can and I will!" Azura snapped, her cool mask finally cracking. "Even as you're cursed to be half-dragon, I'm cursed with this pendant. This is my burden to bear, and as such, it is my choice as to whether or not I use it."

Corrin cracked. "I am your _husband_!" he shouted.

At the same time, his left hand involuntarily transformed into a lance, the point sharper than any man-made sword. Even as the wood of the shelf cracked and papers flew through the air, Azura continued to stare defiantly into Corrin's eyes.

"And what of it?" she snapped back. "I don't care if we're married or not! This pendant is the only way we'll going to defeat Anankos, and I'll be _damned_ before I let anyone stop me from using this. Even you, Corrin."

Corrin had no words that could truly encompass his rage and fury, so instead, he turned and jumped out the window. For a moment, Azura's eyes widened and she ran to the edge of the balcony.

Almost at the same time, a black-and-white blur soared past her, causing even more papers to fly everywhere. As she brushed her hair out of her eyes, she could barely make out the silhouette of her husband's draconic form disappearing into the night and the near-silent flap of his wings and he glided towards somewhere unknown to her.

For a moment, Azura watched Corrin disappear into the night before turning around. Frustrated, she picked up a book and violently hurled it on the ground, paying no heed to the ripped or folded pages. Then, just as quickly as her anger had overtaken her, it evaporated, causing Azura to collapse to her knees.

Then, slowly, she began to let her tears flow.

Corrin had _never_ felt this angry before. Even when he learned of Iago and Garon's role in forcing Flora to fight against him, he had managed to keep his cool, but this time, he was simply unable to keep his emotions bottled up any longer.

As he flew, he let the steady flap of his wings steady his mind. He always tried to make time during the week where he could simply drop everything and disappear into the woods in the Astral Planes for a few hours.

There was no need to fear getting lost, for if he traveled too far from the castle, he was usually magically warped back to the castle courtyard, albeit disgruntled and a bit confused. Luckily, the spot Corrin always went to whenever his nerves were feeling frayed was a simple fly away from his study, which was conveniently located in the tallest tower in the castle.

As Corrin neared his destination, he began to turn his wings inward for a shallow dive. By the time he arrived, he was traveling slowly enough so that it was safe for him to simply transform back into his human form and gently land on the ground.

His "calming place," as Corrin liked to call it, was simple. A small pond fed by a series of small streams surrounded by a wall of trees. It was calming, quiet, and most importantly, isolated, allowing Corrin to let his inner dragon out every once in a while.

Kneeling and pushing his hair out of his eyes, Corrin sighed as he splashed some water onto his face from a nearby stream. Still feeling frustrated, Corrin turned and angrily slammed his hand against the side of a tree.

_Crack_

When Corrin tried to pull his hand away to splash some more water on his face, he felt an odd resistance. Looking back, he saw he involuntarily transformed his hand into a scythe-like claw and that it was now stuck in the tree trunk.

Sighing, Corrin dug his dragonstone out from his pocket and held it in his hand, letting the cool blue magic pass through him and calm his nerves. As the magic calmed him, Corrin suddenly felt exhausted, and he groaned and leaned against the tree.

"Damn me," he growled, shaking his head. "I…I can't believe I yelled at her. I…yelled at her…I yelled at her…"

It was late when Corrin finally returned. By that point, Jakob and Felicia had managed to clean up the study, though there was little they could do about the giant hole Corrin skewered in the wall.

Too tired to care, Azura simply waved her hands and told the two exhausted servants to take the rest of the day off. Then, feeling exhausted herself, Azura quietly slipped into her room to bathe. As she lay in the warm, steaming water, she couldn't help but reflect on the argument she and Corrin just had.

Was it wrong to keep secrets from her husband? No, definitely not. Both Corrin and Azura had agreed that such lies were inevitable, despite the former's displeasure. But was it wrong to keep a secret involving her pendant and how it affected her life?

Now that her mind was unclouded by frustration, Azura could finally see where Corrin was coming from. What if their roles were reversed, where Corrin was the one cursed with the pendant and Azura with being half-dragon? As interesting as that scenario could be, Azura couldn't help but feel that Corrin's anger might have been justifiable in some way.

How would he feel, knowing that every time he asked her to sing for her that he was bringing her death closer and closer? How would he feel, placing all of his trust in one person, yet that person refused to tell them their own secrets?

Either way, Azura was too tired to answer her own questions. When she finished with her bath, she got out of the water, toweled herself off, slipped into her nightgown, and decided to climb into bed and wait for Corrin.

To her surprise, her husband was already in the room, staring out the window, over the castle. Azura was unsure of how to react, but when she took a step towards him, Corrin turned around.

For a moment, the two stood staring at each other. Finally, they broke the silence when they both said at the same time, "I'm sorry."

"Oh, um, sorry," Corrin apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. "Y-you go first."

At the same time, Azura hastily said, "N-no, you go."

What followed was an even tenser moment of silence before Corrin finally sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Azura, I…I should have yelled at you earlier," he said. "I shouldn't have tried to pull the whole 'I'm your husband,' thing on you, and I shouldn't have lost my temper the way I did."

"No, I-I should be the one apologizing," Azura said, stuttering. "I…should've told you the truth about my pendant from the very beginning. You've…shown me every part of yourself, from your best to your worst, but here I am, still keeping secrets from you. I should be the one apologizing."

"No, I should be the one," Corrin interrupted. "There's no excuse I can offer to how I reacted, and—"

"I was the one who caused you to react the way you did," Azura said, averting her gaze. "I snapped at you first, and…and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

Corrin sighed a third time and slumped his shoulders. Then, to Azura's surprise, he chuckled dryly and shook his head. "I suppose this is where we either accept each other's shortcomings, or we keep fighting."

"I suppose so," Azura nodded.

"Which one do you want to choose?"

"What do you think?" Azura asked, unable to suppress her sarcasm. At the same time, her eyes widened. "Oh, sorry, I probably shouldn't be so…so…"

"So lighthearted?" Corrin offered, raising an eyebrow.

Azura nodded. "Yeah. So lighthearted."

"…"

"…"

"Are…we good?"

"I think so," Azura said slowly, unsure of how to advance. "Unless you have anything else to say?"

"I-I do, actually," Corrin said, nervously pulling at his collar before walking over to Azura and surprising her by wrapping her in his arms.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you," he said, his voice muffled by her hair. "But…but it was just so in the moment, a-and I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay," Azura said, patting his back. "I forgive you. I just hope you forgive me for keeping such a secret from you."

"Of course I do," Corrin said, hugging her even tighter. "I…I just _love_ you so much…I-I can't bear the thought of living a life without you."

"I feel the same way," Azura said sadly. "But we have to use the pendant. It's the only way we can defeat Anankos."

"I know," Corrin said unhappily. "And I hate to let you use it, and I definitely don't agree with you being the one to put your life on the line…but I will let you use it if you promise you won't kill yourself using it."

"I promise," Azura said, pulling away to look her husband in the eyes. "I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

**Truth/Legend**

* * *

"_It is said that after the war, the portal to the bottomless canyon was sealed forever, as was Anankos' body. Corrin was crowned King of Valla, with Azura as his wife. Together, alongside King Xander of Nohr and Emperor Ryoma of Hoshido, the three nations worked tirelessly to forge a new era of peace. As for Corrin and Azura, the two spent the rest of their lives together, Corrin ruling as the wise but fair King of Valla. As for Azura, few records of her exist today. Beyond her marriage and a few stray journal entries, there are few official records of Azura, and even then, she was such a mysterious figure, historians disagree on whether or not she was a real person or if she was simply a spirit in human form. She remains a historical mystery."_

As the old storyteller's voice faded into silence, the children stared at him with wide eyes. Gently smiling despite the sad look in his eyes, the old man slowly closed the book and set it on his lap.

"And that's the end. That's the end of Corrin and Azura," he said, his voice deep and melancholy. "Corrin became the king of Valla, and Azura faded into history."

"That can't be it!" the child in the front said. His name was Felix, the old man recalled. "There has to be more! Didn't the book say Azura had a journal? Where is it?"

"The book said she was mentioned _in_ a journal," the old man said patiently. "Azura never kept a journal. At least, I don't remember her having one."

"But what happened to them?" a girl with white hair said. "What happened to Corrin and Azura?"

At this, the old man sighed and leaned back in his chair. "We don't know," he said simply, though his eyes twinkled with both sadness and fondness. "Azura most likely passed away from old age, and Corrin…well, we never did find his body. Corrin was rumored to be half-dragon, and it that was true, dragons live extraordinarily long lives. It's possible he slipped away one day, transformed into a dragon, and flew away to gods knows where."

"That's so sad," another boy said. The boy had long, blonde hair. "Doing so much to save the world yet being forgotten. That's really sad."

"It is," the old man agreed, nodding. "It's even more devastating when you realize that all her life, Azura was constantly bullied and belittled by the people in her kingdom. She had no real friends until she met Corrin, and even then, few people were close enough to her to call her a friend."

"How long ago did this all happen?" another child asked, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Oh, I'd say about two or three thousand years ago," the old man said casually. "I don't remember the exact details, but the ruins of Nohr and Hoshido are rumored to still be standing today, if you go to where they are across the ocean."

Suddenly, the grandfather clock behind the children bonged, causing everyone save the old man to flinch and look around.

"Well, I think that's all for today," the old man said, struggling to his feet. A couple of children helped him, to which he thanked them by muttering a few words of praise into their ears.

"If you have any more questions about the tale about Hoshido, Nohr, or Valla, I'm more than happy to answer them, but if not, then shoo! Go away! I heard the library is offering orange slices and juice boxes today."

"Orange slices and juice boxes?" the largest child exclaimed. "Oh boy, I love juice boxes and orange slices! Wait, Mister…uh…Do you know what flavor juice boxes the library has?"

"I don't know," the old man said as he shrugged. "I don't know what the library feeds you. I just know that they have juice boxes today."

The boy's smile shrunk for a few moments as he took in this somber news, but then when he noticed how most of the other children had already left, his smile grew larger again as he ran outside to join them.

The old man sighed fondly as he watched the children romp and shout gleefully outside. He never had such an opportunity for happiness, but he was glad they were able to enjoy what he did not.

As he turned away, he was surprised to find a small girl with dark clue hair staring up at him, her expression curiously blank.

"How can I help you?" he asked, gently patting her on the head.

If the action discomforted or bothered her, she did not show it. Instead, she pointed at the book and asked flatly, "Are they real?"

"Corrin and Azura?" the old man asked.

The child nodded.

"Of course they are," the old man said congenially. "They were all real, Silas, Kaze, Flora, Flora, and Jakob. All real, all real people, and all very good friends of Corrin."

"How do you know they're real?" the child asked.

The old man nervously fingered the ancient pendant he kept tucked away in his pocket. "I…don't know," he lied. "I…just know."

Somehow, that answer was enough to satisfy the child and she trotted away to join the other children waiting in line. The old man watched her go.

She certainly was an odd one. He didn't remember her laughing or cheering alongside the others when he mentioned juice boxes, but then again, he was getting older. Maybe it was time his memories started to fade away.

"How are you feeling?" a voice suddenly asked, and the old man turned to find a young woman with long blue hair standing before him. But standing would've been a bit of a stretch since where her bare feet should have touched the rugged carpet of the library, her legs simply faded into nothing.

"Azura," the old man greeted, looking back to make sure no one was within earshot.

"Corrin," the woman replied back smiling easily.

The old man's heart clutched in his chest as he resisted the urge to reach out to touch her face. He knew he would be unable to, but it would feel so good to touch his beloved's face again after so many years.

"It…it never gets easier," the old man rasped. "Every time I tell them your story, I forget more and more. I wish I remembered how it felt when you kissed me, how you always had this small smile whenever you watched me wake up in the morning. I…I miss you, Azura."

Azura's smile saddened. "I know," she said simply, reaching out to touch the Corrin's face, but of course, as soon as her fingers touched the living, they dispersed and evaporated like the morning dew. "I miss you too, Corrin, but you know how it is. Manaketes live longer than humans, and I'm afraid my time has long since passed."

"I know," Corrin said simply, though beneath his calm exterior, he could feel his heart dying. "I know. I…I just wish I could talk to you again. And not to some magical illusion."

The ethereal woman smiled sadly. "I know you do, but such is the magic binding this part of her soul to the pendant you now carry. The laws of magic forbid us mortals from communicating from beyond the void, and the only way we could circumvent this rule was by implanting a part of her soul within the pendant."

"I know," Corrin said again. "But…one day, Azura, one day, I'll be able to talk to you again. I promise."

Azura's smile grew even sadder. "I know you will, my love. I know you will."

"Who are you talking to?"

Corrin turned to see one of the children peering up at him, sucking ferociously on his juice box. His jade-green eyes betrayed his intelligence, and as Corrin looked at him, he knew no lies would pass this child by.

"Just…an old ghost," he said, tucking away the pendant he was holding in his hand. "It's been a while since we talked, so I thought now would be a good time."

The child frowned. Evidently, he could tell Corrin was telling the truth…but then again, ghosts don't exist. Do they?"

"Oh. Okay," he said, clearly unhappy with Corrin's answer. "What's their name?"

The old man peered up at the ceiling. "They…would prefer I don't know. You wouldn't want someone telling all of your secrets, now would you, Claude?"

"I guess not," Claude said, pouting. "But I thought you were talking to someone."

"Not someone," Corrin corrected. "Something."

"What? I don't get it."

"You will," Corrin said, smiling as he patted the child on the head. "You'll get it one day."

As the child waddled away, Corrin took another opportunity to bring the golden pendant out into the light. Already, the azure light that had been shining in the sapphire embedded in the middle of the pendant was starting to fade away, and as Corrin shoved it back into his pocket, he sighed.

"Please forgive me, Azura…I'll be with you one day…just not today."

Though he could not see or hear her, the ethereal woman standing behind Corrin took a step towards him and laid her slender hands on his shoulders.

"You always have been, Corrin, and you always will."


	5. Chapter 5

**Protect/Sacrifice**

* * *

It all happened so quickly.

One moment, Corrin was beside her, Yato a golden blur in the twilight light as he effortlessly cut down Faceless after Faceless. The next moment, Azura was screaming.

They had been caught in an ambush while traveling through the Woods of the Forlorn. Even Corrin had been hesitant about traveling through the cursed forest, but with rumors of an enchanted mansion containing a staff capable of banishing any number of Faceless into oblivion, Corrin, Xander, Ryoma, and Leo had decided it was well worth the effort to pierce through the cursed forest to retrieve such a powerful weapon.

At first, Azura had been against the idea of Corrin going, only relenting once she demanded to travel alongside him. After another argument over the matter, Corrin finally relented and let her travel with him alongside a small group soldiers and mercenaries who volunteered to guide them through the woods at a surprisingly reasonable cost.

She should've known those mercenaries were up to no good, however, she stumbled upon one of the sellswords slitting the throat of one of their men. In an instant, what should've been a quick, quiet mission turned into a bloody, drawn-out brawl as the wood's resident Faceless showed up to investigate what was causing such a fuss.

As soon as the Faceless showed up, Corrin had suddenly materialized next to her, took her by the hand, and dragged her away. At first, Azura resisted his pulling, shouting about how they needed to rescue the rest of the men and that they needed the staff to stand a chance against Anankos.

"There is no staff!" Corrin shouted, ducking under a blackened tree branch. "Those mercenaries lied to us! They're Anankos' servants! They tried to lure us into the woods so they could try to kill us!"

"But what about the men?" Azura asked, tripping and stumbling over both her dress and outlying tree roots. Why did she choose to wear a dress in this kind of terrain? "We need to help them!"

"There's…no point!" Corrin wheezed, covering his nose and mouth as they passed through one of the wood's signature poison bogs. Azura did the same. "We only brought four men with us! We thought the mercenaries would be able to help us, but there's practically twenty of them! There's no way they can fight off so many people!"

"What now?" Azura asked as they finally breached into a clearing. "Where do we go?"

"I don't know," Corrin said, frowning. "There's no way we can go back to camp, not with those mercenaries and Faceless there, and the sentry had the map, and—"

Without warning, Corrin suddenly tackled Azura and roughly bore her to the ground, causing all the air in her lungs to leave her body. At the same time, an arrow _thunked_ into the tree trunk behind Azura, right where her head had occupied a split second earlier.

"You can't run forever, you know!" a mercenary's voice shouted out. "Lord Anankos will rule over us all! Why not make it easier on yourself and surrender now? Maybe he'll make your death quick!"

"Tempting offer," Azura grumbled as she picked a branch out of her already-tangled hair.

"Stay down," Corrin warned. "Hide. They've got bows."

"How do you know?"

In response, Corrin looked up at the arrow embedded in the tree behind them, and Azura felt her face flush.

"Oh. Right."

"You can't hide forever, you know!" the mercenary called out. "Even as I speak, I'm having your men strung up for the Faceless to eat! IF you show yourself now, maybe I'll kill them first before I let those monsters have a stab at them!"

"Here's the plan," Corrin said, his voice low. "They're all spread out right now, trying to search for us. As soon as one of them comes by our hiding spot, we'll take him down together."

"What then?" Azura asked. "There's still almost twenty of them!"

Corrin winked at her. "Don't worry. That's why I'm here, isn't it? As soon as we take down one guy, you stay here where it's safe and I'll go out and kill the rest."

"That's your plan?" Azura asked blithely. "You go and kill all the bad guys while I stay behind and pray that I don't get stepped on?"

"You're in a dress," Corrin said flatly. "I don't know why you thought it was a good idea to wear a dress in a forest inhabited by giant monsters. Plus, it's white and gold, and it's _definitely_ going to make you an easy target."

"What about you?" Azura hissed. "You're covered in white and black armor! You stand out even more than I do!"

"Exactly," Corrin said. "I'm wearing_ armor_. You're wearing a _dress_. Which one of us do you want taking the hits?"

Azura had no response to that. "…fine," she said reluctantly. "Just…stay safe, Corrin."

The plan worked remarkably well at first. As soon the boot of the unfortunate mercenary stepped on Corrin's hand, he transformed that hand into a giant mouth that promptly bit the man's leg off. Before he even had the chance to scream, however, Azura silenced him with a dagger Corrin gave her.

"Alright, you know the plan," Corrin said, rising on his haunches. "Stay put, and I'll be back."

"Right," Azura said blithely as she settled back into a prone position.

For a few moments, the only sounds was the sound of the mercenaries demanding that Corrin and Azura give up and the roars of some faraway Faceless. Then, Azura heard a muffled shout, a _snap_, and then a series of shouts as Corrin engaged the remaining mercenaries in open combat.

Despite Corrin's advice against revealing herself, Azura couldn't help but peek above a moldy log to watch the spectacular battle.

Corrin has always been a gifted swordfighter, and although he may lack the ferocity Ryoma had in his lightning-fast strikes or the iron focus Xander possessed in his mighty swings, Corrin more than made it up for in sheer creativity and unpredictability.

Azura watched in awe as Corrin dropped out of the trees, his legs intertwined before morphing them into a pair of spears, skewering the unfortunate mercenary beneath him. Another mercenary tried to attack from behind, raising his sword over his head for a two-handed blow, but Corrin reacted by spinning around and slashing outward with Yato, bisecting the man cleanly in two.

Corrin sprouted wings and furled them in front of him to act as makeshift shield as a volley of arrows streaked towards him, though the pinged harmlessly off his scaly skin. Unfurling his wings, Corrin sprinted forward before leaping forward, holding Yato parallel to the ground above his head as he corkscrewed through the air.

Another two fell to this barrage of blows, but when a mercenary tried to sneak up on him with an aze with Corrin was busy kicking a skewered corpse off his lance-arm, Azura couldn't help but scream, "Corrin, behind you!"

Both mercenary and half-dragon turned at the sound of her voice, and the mercarny sneered as he turned around. Scowling, Corrin grew out his wings again and flapped them backwards, angling them so that the sharp talons on the edge was aimed towards the man's neck.

His head still bore the sneering expression as his body followed it to the floor.

"I thought I told you to stay hidden!" Corrin hissed as he rushed over to her.

"I-I'm sorry!" she said, clutching her chest. "He was behind you, and you didn't seem to notice, and—"

"Keyword _'seem.'_ Azura!" Corrin said, annoyed. "I knew he was behind me. I have the ears and smell of a _dragon_, Azura. Of course I knew he was behind me. If I gave that fact away, he would've played it a lot more safe, and as such, made it a lot harder for me to track him down!"

"Oh." Azura averted her eyes guiltily. "Sorry. I-I thought—"

"It's alright," Corrin said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I know you had my best interest at heart, and—"

"Well, well, well…if it isn't the dragon princeling and the lady of the lake. Fancy seeing you two here."

Corrin stiffened. "I know that voice," he growled, turning around. "Iago."

"Of course, it's me," the Nohrian mage drawled. "Who else did you expect?"

"What are you doing here?" Azura asked, frowning. "Are you the one who hired these mercenaries."

"Well, yes and no," Iago said casually. "I simply…_persuaded_ them to 'assist' you."

"With what gold?" Corrin asked, eyes narrowed as he held Yato in front of him. "Last time I checked, you weren't the type to pay in gold for their services."

Iago laughed again, except this time, his eyes narrowed craftily. "Oh, what gave it away? Was it the magical thrall runes emblazoned on their necks and forearms?"

"I knew those looked familiar," Corrin growled. "They said it was their guild's signet, but I should've known those were thrall runes."

"Why are you here?" Azura asked, struggling to keep her voice steady. "As far as we see, you're alone, you have nothing to throw in front of you to protect yourself, and we're both armed."

"You idiotic fools," Iago said, shaking his head. "When will you learn that you don't need to have a giant, golden sword on your person to fight? Magic works just as well, and—_Fimbulvetr!_"

Time slowed down for Corrin. The fighter part of his brain automatically analyzed what spell Iago used, what it did, where the spell was going to land, and who the spell was directed—

_Azura_.

Corrin was sure of it. Iago's spell was aimed directly at Azura's heart. If it hit, the ice spell would encase Azura is a ragged block of ice, instantly killing her. It was possible for one to ward off the effects of the spell with a ward, but Azura was no mage. She had no access to those abilities, which meant—

There was only one option, and without hesitation, Corrin took it.

In the precious seconds that he had, Corrin shoved Azura behind him and spouted his wings from his back again and flapped them, hard. The result wing was strong enough to knock Azura back a few yards, but as the ice-blue light grew brighter in front of Corrin, he slowly closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

_For you, I would do anything a thousand times over._

And then…black.

It all happened so quickly.

One moment, Iago was standing before them, monologuing. The next moment, Azura was screaming Corrin's name as he pushed her out of the way, his wings barely retracting into his body as he defiantly stood between her and Iago's spell.

When the light faded and Azura was finally able to force her eyes open, her heart stopped.

Corrin was lying facedown on the ground, unmoving. Yato laid on the ground next to him, the golden blade a stark contrast against the thin layer of frost covering everything around Corrin's body.

As Azura desperately crawled over to Corrin, she whispered, "No, no, no, no. Please don't be dead. He _can't_ be dead, he _can't!"_

But with every repetition, it became less a statement of fact or hope and a prayer to the world at large.

A few yards away, Iago casually brushed some ice off his robed shoulders. "Well, that was unexpected," he said. "I was actually aiming for you, princess, but I guess killing the princeling works just as well. Ah well. At least you're still here, which means I can still kill you."

"You…you _bitch_!" Azura screamed, taking Corrin's dagger and hurling towards the sorcerer. "I'll kill you!"

Iago yawned casually as he flicked his wrist and sent the dagger careening to the side. "Careful now, 'Zuzu. You really shouldn't be throwing knives at people. It might make them…angry."

"I'll kill you!" Azura screamed as her hands scrabbled for Yato's hilt. She struggled to left the weapon, but it seemed like the weapon weighed more than the world itself, and Azura was unable to even wrap her fingers under the hilt.

Giving up, Azura abandoned all forms of logical thought and simply charged towards Iago, intent on hurting him as much as she could using her teeth, nails, whatever she could get her hands on.

Iago simply rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. Meanwhile, Azura abruptly froze mid-air, eyes flailing wildly about in her sockets as she tried to figure out what was going on.

"Good luck trying to break out of that one," Iago drawled and he nudged Corrin's body with his foot.

_That disrespect son of a—_

"It's a simple spell, really, but quite unbreakable," Iago continued, walking around Azura. "I call it _Petrificus_, and I'm sure you can tell what it does."

Iago's voice suddenly gained a sharper, colder edge as he turned towards her. "Now, do you know what I'm going to do to you, my beloved?"

_Don't call me that, only Corrin's allowed to call me that—_

"I'm going to kill you, but before I kill you, I just want you to see what became of your dear little husband."

With a snap of his fingers, Corrin's limp body flew through the air, stopping just short in front of Azura. Iago turned and looked mockingly surprised.

"What's this? Corrin? The dragon prince? Blood of Dragons? More like Blood of being crippling weak to ice spells!"

Iago reached out and grabbed Azura by the chin. "Now, what closely. What's I'm going to your body is the same thing I'll be doing to you, so make sure you don't look away. You can't, of course, not unless I let you, but maybe I'll petrify your eyelids too so that you don't miss a single beat."

"I really hope she doesn't," Corrin's voice suddenly said, causing both Iago and Iago to look towards his body.

To Azura's joy, Corrin was well-alive, although looking a bit worse for wear. His cape was torn, his armor still bore marks of frost, and he definitely looked a bit paler and bluer compared to before, but he was _alive_, and that was what mattered most

"You touch her, and I'll rip your spine right out of your ass," Corrin growled. "Let…her…_go!_"

"Oh, I'll let her go alright," Iago sneered, closing his fist.

Almost instantly, Azura could feel a stifling, chocking sensation in her throat, and she gagged noiselessly as Iago continued tightening his grip on her neck.

Without warning, a blur of black and white suddenly streak in front of Azura's vision, and she fell to the ground, the petrifying spell broken. Looking up, the first thing Azura saw was Corrin standing before her, his face as hard and cold as stone and half as forgiving.

Azura turned her head to see what Corrin was looking at, and to her shock, she saw Iago on the end of Corrin's transformed arm-lance. The tip of Corrin's arm-lance was buried in a tree, and—

Iago coughed, and blood splattered against Corrin's face.

"Damn you," he said, scowling. "You two are…so _irritating_ to deal with. It's always about love and sacrificing yourself for the other, isn't it?"

"You die here," Corrin said, voice deadly serious. "You deserve no mercy for your crimes."

Iago simply chuckled. "Just because you did it, doesn't mean you're guilty."

With a snap of his fingers and a flash of light, Iago was gone, leaving just a gory blood splatter on Corrin's arm-lance. Cursing, Corrin's transformed his arm back into its human counterpart before kneeling next to Azura and cradling her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, worriedly. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"I'm…I'm fine," Azura coughed, reaching up to touch his face. "What about you? I thought you—" Azura felt tears spring to her eyes. "I thought you died…"

"It almost did," Corrin admitted. "The spell knocked me out cold, er, sorry, and it did hurt a lot, but that's not important right now. Are _you_ okay? Did the spell hit you at all?"

"Don't…"

Corrin frowned and lowered his head, putting his ear next to Azura's lips. "Don't…"

"Don't what?"

"Don't…you _ever_ sacrifice yourself like that for me again," Azura said, reaching up past his face to pinch his ear. "Do you _know_ how scared I was to see you lying there, not moving? I thought…"

Corrin gently reached up and removed her hand from his ear, grimacing slightly at the pain. "Yeah, I know. I won't do that again. I…I just had no choice. You couldn't run, I couldn't block it in time, and…the only thing I could do was use myself as a shield."

"Don't…you _ever_ do that to me again, Corrin."

"I won't. I promise."

The two stayed like that a moment loner, with Corrin staring into Azura's eyes and Azura staring into Corrin's eyes. Red, Azura thought, matched beautifully with gold.

They could have stayed like that forever, but Corrin suddenly coughed and looked away. "W-we should get out of here. We're still in the middle of a dangerous forest."

"We should," Azura agreed, tucking her hair behind her ear as Corrin helped her to her feet. "We should tell Leo about the trap, to ward off any portential future victims."

Corrin nodded. "We should."

As the two half-walked, half-hobbled out of the forest, Azura suddenly reached up to peck Corrin on the cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked, flushing red, which was even more noticeable than usual due to his frost-caused paleness.

"That was for protecting me," Azura said, before kissing him again, this time on the lips.

"…and that?" Corrin asked once she pulled away.

Azura smiled cheekily. "For saving me."

Corrin blushed as he looked away. "Ah, well, yes. I-I suppose I did do that. For you, I do anything a thousand times over."


	6. Chapter 6

**Instinct/Faith**

* * *

If there was one flaw Corrin was willing to openly admit about himself, it was that he could be too overprotective of his friends and family, _especially_ his family. It wasn't a _bad_ flaw per se, but it certainly did set him on edge when he was unsure whether or not his friends were alright.

Normally, this meant he would spend a few fitful hours tossing and turning in his sheets at night, but when Azura suddenly announced that she was going to travel to Hoshido to visit Ryoma and Takumi, Corrin couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as she told him her planned route through the countryside.

"I heard there were bandits in the area," he said, picking at his food. "Are you _sure_ this trip is worth it?"

"I feel like it is," Azura replied simply, taking note of how Corrin picked at his food. Normally, the half-dragon would devour his meals, well, like a dragon, but the only times he picked at his food was when he wanted to tell her something but was unsure of how to word it.

Sighing and setting her fork aside, Azura reached across the table and took Corrin's hands in her own. Corrin looked up in surprise as Azura smiled teasingly at him.

"Don't worry," she said gently. "I'll only be gone for a few days."

"I know," Corrin said, frowning. "B-but—"

"I know you're worried about the bandits," Azura said, squeezing his hand. "But I'll be under constant guard at all times. Besides, they're only based in the hills, which takes only a few hours to cross on horseback. Once we pass through the hills, we're practically home-free."

"I know," Corrin said again, though his frown only deepened. "But what if they ambush you? Or what if they surprise you by moving out of the hills? Or—"

"Corrin," Azura said insistently, causing her husband to pause mid-sentence. "Don't _worry_. I'll be fine. If it makes you any more comfortable, I'll ask Ryoma if he can supply our group with his own soldiers when we return."

It didn't comfort Corrin, but as Azura rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb, he found himself unable to say so.

"That…would be preferable."

And they spoke no more on the matter for the rest of the night.

* * *

The first few days of the trip was rather unremarkable. After being escorted out of the castle by Corrin and his own personal royal guard, Azura and her escort group of a dozen or so assorted soldiers and mages began their journey towards Hoshido.

The first day was nothing special, and neither was the second, but it was on the third day that they neared the hills. As they approached the base of the hills, the captain signaled back to the group with a closed fist.

"Halt," he commanded, eyes narrowed as he peered at the landscape before them. "Something's wrong."

"What's wrong?" Azura asked curiously as she rode her horse up to him. "I don't see anything wrong."

"That's the point," the captain glowered. "There should be bandits around this area…but there aren't."

"Maybe they moved on?" Azura offered.

"Doubt it," the captain grunted. "I know these types of men. The only time they move is if something drives them away, or if—"

Without warning, the captain's eyes suddenly widened before he collapsed forward with a gurgle, an arrow sticking out of the back of his neck. Azura's horse screamed wildly as another arrow streak towards it, puncturing its left flank.

Azura grunted as the horse threw her off when it reared. For a moment, Azura simply curled up and covered her head with her arms as arrows continued embedding themselves in the ground around her. More screams rose, from both men and horses, but as suddenly as the ambush started, the attack stopped.

Azura cautiously lifted her, paying no heed to the layer of dirt and dusted covering her once white dress. The stench of death and blood clung heavily to her nose. Azura looked to her left as one of her guards reached out towards her, his back punctured by no less than four arrows.

"Lady…Azura," he croaked, "r…run…"

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" a new voice said, and Azura looked up to see a man atop a sorrel sneering down at her, a savage grin on his face. "A live one, eh?"

"W-who are you?" Azura asked, struggling to keep her voice from shaking. "What do you want?"

Azura yelped as one of the bandits behind her delivered a swift kick to her head, causing her to curl up into a ball again. The man on the sorrel horse, their leader Azura assumed, said something in another language and Azura felt rough hands grab at her arms and legs as they lifted her off the ground.

The leader casually dismounted his horse and crossed over to where four bandits held Azura. He grabbed her by the chin and twisted her face to the sides, peering at her pale skin.

"You're a pretty one, aren't you?" he drawled. Releasing her, he turned back around and gestured grandly to the carnage around him. "Well, consider yourself lucky! Normally we just ambush travelers, kill them, and take their goods, every once in awhile, we find a pretty young lass like yourself. Grieg will be _very_ pleased with us this time."

"G-Grieg?" Azura asked, but was swiftly punished by a punishing slap to her face.

"Shut yer trap!" the man said, sneering derisively. "_Slaves_ don't ask questions around here!"

Azura felt her blood freeze as they roughly bound her wrists and feet together using some frayed rope. She remembered the slavery auctions during her childhood in Nohr. She always hated and feared the concept of being enslaved, which was why she spent most of her life struggling to rid the world of Anankos instead of simply running and hiding.

She swore to herself that she would never permit any sort of bondage or slavery in Valla, but here she was, about to be sold into slavery. How cruel fate could be.

As they roughly shoved her atop one of the horses, Azura felt a tear slide off her cheek as she whispered a silent apology to Corrin. _I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. You were right. I'll always love you._

"Hey, she's cryin'!" one of the slavers shouted, and Azura opened her eyes to see the leader walking towards her with a switch in hand.

"Save your tears!" he growled, raising the tool to beat her. "For every tear I see, that'll be another ten lashings!"

Azura couldn't stop the tears, however, but as she watched as the whip descended, time slowed down. As the blackened leather sharpened, a shadow fell over them, and the leader screamed in agony as a white and black blur streaked over his head.

He looked down in shock as the two stumps where his arms had once been. At the same time, the other men shouted cries of alarm as something large and heavy struck the ground. Something roared, and Azura's eyes widened. She knew that war…

As the horse reared, sending Azura tumbling to the ground, she glimpsed a dragon roaring at the bandits. Azura tried to move to get a better view, but one of the slavers accidentally kicked her head again, and everything went black.

* * *

On the first night after Azura's departure, Corrin spent his nights tossing and turning in their bed, desperately wishing for sleep to overtake him. The second night, Corrin turned to pacing, sometimes for hours at a time, but when the second night turned into the third morning, Corrin suddenly halted his pacing at looked out the window, towards the direction of Hoshido.

There was this…chill in his gut, almost like he swallowed the world's coldest and most bitter block of ice. He couldn't explain it, but something was wrong. The last time he felt this way, it was when—

Corrin's eyes widened as he summoned Jakob and told him to cancel all of his appointments, much to the butler's surprise. That surprise then turned into shock as Corrin turned, grabbed Yato, and then proceeded to jump out of the window, all without a moment's warning.

As he fell, Corrin sheathed Yato, twisted mid-air, and right before he hit the ground, transformed into his draconic form before furiously winging his way towards Azura. He still had her scent, even after days of being away from her, and as Corrin neared the hills, he caught the stench of blood, and sweat, and—

Few things are as powerful as a dragon when it's enraged, and as Corrin saw one of the bandits rear his hand back to strike Azura, something in him _snapped_. The following minutes passed in a blood-red blur for him as he brutalized the men that were about to sell his lover into slavery.

After a few moments, Corrin reared his head back and roared his fury and victory to the skies, the blood a startling contrast against the white and black of his scales. For a moment, he was tempted to stomp on the remains of the bandits just for good measure, but when he sensed Azura moaning and moving on the ground, all the rage in his system suddenly abandoned him.

Transforming back into his human self, Corrin crawled over to Azura and cradled her in his arms.

"Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods," he whispered, touching her face. "Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay."

Slowly, ever so slowly, Azura opened her eyes to look at him. Choking back a sob of relief, Corrin tightly hugged Azura, taking care to avoid the angry-looking bruises on her back and face.

"I _told_ you that you shouldn't have gone," he said, choking back tears. "I _told_ you, I told you."

"I…I can't believe you came," Azura rasped, her voice weak. "I…I thought I would never see you again."

"I thought so too," Corrin said, brushing her hair out of her face. "Are you hurt? Did…did they do anything to you?"

Azura coughed, and to Corrin's concern, blood lightly turned her lips a scarlet red. "Nothing serious," she said. "Just…hit me a couple of times. I…I think…I think they gave me a concussion."

Corrin hugged her again. "Don't worry," he said, rubbed the back of her head. "You're safe now. I promise."

* * *

Corrin carried Azura back to the city in a bridal carry, something Azura had no objections against. As they walked past the city gates, Azura quietly whispered, "How did…you know that I was in trouble?"

"I don't know," Corrin answered truthfully, ignoring the crowd peering curiously at him. "I…just felt that something was wrong. I…can't really explain it." He looked apologetic. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Azura said, cuddling up to his chest. "I…I'm just glad you came. I _knew_ you would come."

Corrin hummed deep within his chest. "I know. I'm glad too."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hear My Cry/Silenced**

* * *

Azura remembered the first time she realized she was in love with Corrin.

It had been soon after Lilith brought the two of them to the astral plane, shortly after renouncing both Nohr and Hoshido. As both nations had publically declared te two as public enemies number one and two, they would need a place to lay low for a couple of months while Corrin created a plan to bring the two nations together, and luckily, Corrin knew just the person to turn to. Well, dragon, but that was glossed over pretty quickly.

Lilith managed to bring them to the castle that would become their home for the next three years, back before they had an army bustling around every corner and people constantly running to and fro. At the time, it was just one massive, abandoned castle, and two people, a man and a woman.

Now, it was obvious to Azura that Corrin felt some sort of attraction towards her, judging by how he stared at her when he thought she wasn't looking, or by the constant reassurances he gave her whenever she said anything remotely negative about herself.

Now, being a grown woman, Azura was used to this kind of behavior. She was used to people occasionally catcalling, flirting, or even harassing her. It was simply a part of being a somewhat renowned dancer. She _had_ to put her body out on display, and while she never really got over showing so much skin, so long as the catcalling remained catcalls, she found herself able to ignore the hoots and yells.

But Corrin was…different. Despite his social and friendly nature, he often said more with his eyes and actions than he did with her words. He never blatantly complimented Azura on her looks, though he would occasionally point them out if he noticed a change in her, and he never touched her without her permission, even for hugs or shoulder pats.

It was…kind of nice, knowing that there was at least _one_ person out there in the world who felt some sort of restraint when it came to her body. It just happened to be luck that the person also happened to be Azura's best friend, her closest confidant, and her most supportive ally.

It was when Azura suddenly felt a pang of guilt of thinking Corrin as an ally, as a tool, that she realized that she had fallen for him.

She remembered looking over to where he had been napping quietly under a tree, Lilith playfully placing a pile of leaves atop his head before zooming away. Azura remembered, feeling a burning sensation in her cheeks as she looked at Corrin as not a reliable ally and friend, but as a _man_.

Corrin was easily a looker, despite his youthful appearance and traumatic childhood. His arms were toned from years of training and swordplay, and his mind was even sharper. Despite a couple of instances where he appeared scatter-brained, for lack of a better word, there were times where Corrin had solved a problem so quickly, Azura would have never there was a problem until he told her.

Azura remembered losing her train of thought as she wondered about how it would feel to place her head against his strong chest and listen to her heartbeat. She wondered how warm it would be if they shared a bed together on a cold winter night, and she wondered how wonderful it would feel to be kissed by such a gentle, yet powerful creature.

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

They were now in the middle of a war, she had no time for such girlish fantasies. She could appreciate Corrin for who he truly was when they survive the war, but until then, Azura had to keep her focus.

But the heart cannot lie, and the mind is easily swayed, so when Corrin woke up, stretched his arms over his head, and flashed a brilliant smile at her as he asked how she was doing, Azura couldn't help but blush as she smiled back.

* * *

Azura remembered the first time she had denied her feelings.

It had been a harmless prank, at first. Felicia and Silas had the _ingenious_ idea of locking the two together after Azura and Corrin had a rather heated argument. It must have been a pointless argument since Azura can't seem to remember what they were even talking about, but it must have been disruptive since Silas and Felicia had cheekily suggested that if the two continued to act so antagonistically towards each other, they would just lock them in a room to duel it out.

Of course, both Azura and Corrin took this as a harmless joke, but when Azura felt someone shove her into a closet with Corrin and heard the lock click shut behind her, she couldn't help but wonder where it all went so wrong.

The first time she denied her feelings was also the day she discovered Corrin was claustrophobic, and after forcing herself to remain calm after being locked in a small, tight space, she then had to deal with a half-dragon going out of his mind with fear.

Corrin had been too unnerved to transform, luckily, and for the second time during her time in the astral plains, Azura saw Corrin as a man instead of an ally or tool. Like her, he was only human (well, sort of), and like her, he also had trouble dealing with tight spaces, though Azura's dislike came from an abusive childhood and Corrin's draconic instincts naturally shunned away from being imprisoned.

Azura remembered how her face burned when Corrin wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, whimpering and shaking. It was…a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

Despite her earlier anger at Corrin, Azura couldn't help but wrap her own arms around Corrin, if only to calm him down. It worked, but only slightly, but Azura found that Corrin typically felt a lot better if she hugged while facing him, instead of away.

It was also during this time that their lips brushed past each, a feeling so faint, Azura could have forgotten about if she didn't remember the swelling sensation in her chest. Corrin had been looking around, and Azura had simply turned her head to look up at him. The exact moment Azura looked up was also the exact moment Corrin looked down, and so their lips brushed past each other accidentally.

Azura remembered how she pushed Corrin away, stammering something about how they shouldn't try to further their relationship because of propriety or something, Azura didn't remember. What she _did_ remember was the sense of loathing and shame inside herself as she bolted out of the closet, leaving Corrin standing alone, confused, surrounded by a laughing maid and paladin.

* * *

Azura remembered the first time she finally surrendered to her feelings.

It had been almost immediately after killing Anankos. Azura remembered covering her eyes with her hands as Anankos grew brighter and brighter before anticlimactically disappearing.

Almost immediately, all of the undead Vallites had collapsed and dissolved into water, and the faceless' hands went to their throat as the source of magic feeding and sustaining them was cut.

Azura remembered how tired she felt after the battle, looking around at the battlefield, using her broken naginata to keep her balance. The fighting had been _brutal_.

For every soldier they cut down, another two took its place, and every time one of their own fell to the onslaught, they would immediately rise up again and attack their fellow soldiers. The Faceless effortlessly broke through their tired ranks, and more than once, a Pegasus straight-up fell from the sky, the beast's wings too tired to keep themselves and their rider afloat.

As Azura looked around, she couldn't help but feel a sense of joy in her chest as she saw a lone figure standing a ways apart from the rest of the army, his blue cape in tatters around him. When Azura approached him, he was saying something to himself before noticing Azura.

As the two looked silently at each other, Corrin shattered the silence by shrugging his shoulders and sardonically saying, "I think we won."

What followed next was both a source of joy and embarrassment for Azura.

His words had barely left his mouth before Azura suddenly dropped her naginata, sprung towards him, and kissed him soundly, on the lips. Corrin's eyes had widened in surprise as he struggled to keep his balance before giving up and simplying dropping Yato, letting his hand rest on the small of Azura's back as the other cradled her head.

When the pulled back from each other, red-faced and gasping for breath, Azura couldn't help but giggle giddily.

"You have…_no_ idea how long I've wanted to do that," Corrin said, laughing.

"I should have kissed you, back in that closet," Azura said, fondly touching his face.

"I should have kissed you too," Corrin replied. "Azura…I know this is a bit soon to ask, but…I feel like I've been in love with you forever, from the very first moment we met. I…I want to get to know you better, and I want to make you happy, but only if you want me. Do…do you accept?"

Azura pretended to think it over.

"Hm…how about this?" she said before kissing Corrin on the lips.

Even as Corrin lost his balance and fell backward, the two couldn't help but laugh as they stared into each other's eyes while the world around them slowly stared to fix itself.


End file.
